Saturday, 31 December 2016

The title sounds like some sort of mystery novel requiring
investigation and that is exactly the situation we found ourselves in following
events midweek! A good friend of the club Karen from Riskinhope phoned to let
me know that our boat on the wee loch had apparently come adrift and was languishing
at the side of the loch half way down and was full of water. She went on to say
that she had chained it up to stop it resuming its travels.

Jenny and me headed up on Thursday to rescue the beast and
since the water was high we thought to try and get it to the boat house via the
channel that joins the two lochs. We had brought with us our new water
expulsion pump and 12 volt battery (Christ that was heavy) ready to put the bung
in and pump her out. In a very short time she was empty and we thought we would
lead her like a trusty mutt down into St Mary’s.

Of course none of these things ever go to plan and this day
was no different. In the time it had taken to walk to the stranded boat the
wind had got up and if you know the area you will know the far side of the
Lowes has no shelter at all! So it was 10 metres movement the push her off the
shoreline as the wind pushed her in all the way down. When we got to the bridge
naturally she run aground and it was push pull and curse till the next obstacle
and there were six in all!

We did however prevail and were at the top of St Mary’s
where we decided we would just push her out into the loch and intercept her
near the boathouse. For once things went our way when we got to Summerhope Davie
and Stuart were bivvied up and when we explained our plan they intervened and
saved the day by collecting our boat with their electric engine equipped
Lomond. So once again we are indebted to the lads and of course in equal
measure to Jenny and Karen!

Now we needed to find out how did this boat break free into
the loch? The boat came away with the chain and the padlock locked so it wasn’t
a case of carelessness in locking her up. Now steel corrosion was suggested but
this chain is only a couple of years old and the links have only surface
corrosion that can be rubbed off with fingers! So corrosion is not a valid
reason for the escape. In fact the post the chain was connected to was rotten
and fell over with the wind against the weight of the boat! Sometimes shit
happens! The good thing however was that even with the drain bung out she did
not sink to the depths of the loch. That’s because we built in 3 flotation
chambers capable of keeping 2 anglers above the waterline safety must always be
our priority!

NB The boat is now at the boathouse and will be refurbished
before being returned to the Lowes hopefully around April. Once again thanks to
Jenny, Karen, Stuart & Davie we appreciate your help!

Photo 02 - Just had to try out our new fire! Thanks Brian!

Club membership!

For those who are not members of the club but would like to
join please send in your application form with the required fee
which is £50.00 for eleven months. At the end of January
when we have a membership total we will process applications received assuming
we are below the 50 member mark. If we are unable to take your membership we will return your payment if you sent it in with your application. We apologise for this faffing around but it is entirely all
down to Mr Xxxxx! Existing members should renew anytime through January.

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Today a bunch of us were to be heading off around the loch
for some shingle to renovate our path to the boats, but storm Barbara put paid to that! I nipped up today to have
a look at the weights we cast last week using “blown” cement and lo and behold
they have turned out beautifully! We now have enough weights to secure the pier
when it is erected. The work Mike carried out on the woodwork around the boat
house has now fully cured and it looks very good indeed! Once again thanks to
all the lads who helped these actions really do help the club progress!

Membership
renewal!

Already eleven applications have come in and been processed and
should subject to the vagaries of the post be back with the club members! There
is plenty time to renew so don’t get in a flap but applications must be with me
by 31/01/2017.

Christmas Eve!

This is always a busy time for men, delivering presses,
getting the last minute marriage saving gifts and passing messages of goodwill
to relatives you didn’t know you had! So if you are not heading off to midnight
mass click the link below and relax with a drop of brandy –

Sunday, 18 December 2016

We are now inviting
existing members to renew their subscriptions for 2017. This will remain open until
31/01/2017 any member not having renewed by then will be deemed to be a lapsed member! We
will maintain a tight schedule this time around so that we have a database by 31/01/2017 for
the purposes of our AGM which (weather permitting) we would hold at the Tibbie
Shiels Inn sometime early February.

Photo 02 - weights lined up and ready for action!

We cannot take
applications from non members wishing to join the club until we see how many
members we have. This will become apparent at the end of January where
we will offer membership to interested non members with a £5.00 discount (£50.00 instead of £55.00 due to January being lost) if we
are below the 50 member mark. We apologise for this unusual measure but for
conservation and insurance purposes we cannot have more than 50 members!

When our ex loch keeper Mr Xxxxx was sacked he decided to
assume the role of a sulking schoolboy and held on to various pieces of club
equipment including the club membership database and it is because of this that
we are unsure of just how many members we have. So if these arrangements inconvenience you please get in touch directly
with Mr Xxxxx, after all this situation has arisen entirely because of his childish
actions!

Please send
applications with an SAE to Richard Plisga 28 Meigle Street Galashiels TD1 1LL
or hand them to me any Saturday on the loch. Renewal price of £35.00 may be paid by cheque/ postal order made payable to St Mary's Angling Club. You may also pay by cash in person.

Photo 03 - Concrete weight made with "blown" cement!

Please note – Existing
membership cards will be valid until the end of January 2017.

Great work today!

The photos tell the story best, Gordon McClurg Mike Wood
resident Les and I set about making the weights to be used for anchoring our
pier. We had made two test weights the previous week and they turned out first class in spite of us using “blown” cement according to Mr Xxxxx! So we set to
it and got cracking.

Photo 04 - Timbers protected for another few years!

First problem was the mixing tub springing a leak but this
was quickly overcome by mixing by hand specifically by Gordon & Mikes
hands! Soon a production line was established and in no time the job was done.
Gordon and me set out to commission our new 12v high flow water pump which
pushes out 40 litres/min. The pump is suitable for water and diesel and will be a great help to us.

A little bit of clamp tightening and hose adjustment was all
that was required to have the machine gunning out water like one of those red
lorries with blue flashing lights! In a short time we had emptied one Arran
full of water and another with around a foot of water. Meantime Mike was not
sitting idly he was recoating all our external woodwork with Cuprinol
preservative (his own) which he had brought up. As if all the above was not
enough Gordon had cleared out his shed and gifted us boxes of screws and nails
and a new saw!

Photo 05 - Our new pump throwing it out!

Now if you are wondering how the club keeps going simply
look above at these hardworking members and others like them! Were it not for
them the club would have finished many years ago. Next week the muddy potholed
path to our boats gets remedial treatment!

The
club is most grateful to Gordon, Mike and Les your hard work is very much
appreciated!

An old friend!

Yes our old loch keeper and good friend Piotr phoned today to wish all the club members A very Merry Christmas! He is enjoying life along with Tasha and they now have their house as they want it to be and both are working very hard! The antics of Mr Xxxxx were a shock to him yet in a way he wishes he was back at the loch. He still thinks of us all and sends his very best wishes! An old friend and a true gent!

Sunday, 11 December 2016

It’s been on the cards for a very long time in fact since
the original wooden one crumbled away many years ago. We first thought to
resurrect the pier around 5 years ago when we purchased three pieces of heavy
duty metal flooring which we could bolt or weld together into a suitable
layout. We now have a vision of the structure constructed to best meet the
needs of our boaters.

The type of pier we will be constructing will be a floating
structure held in place by weights and uprights which will allow it to rise and
fall as the level fluctuates. Now that we have experienced the lower loch level
we will have a baseline on which to base our construction.

Photo 02 - Brian & Les in discussion, Gordon as usual hard at work!

With the above in mind two of our heavyweights Brian
Fairgrieve and Gordon McClurg came down to shift the ton of aggregate sitting
at the car park and they had it done at an astonishing pace! These lads really do know how to work! They also brought with them 20 buckets that
we will use as moulds for concrete weights which will stabilise the structure.

Gordon suggested we should carry out a trial mix so we did a
pair of weights cast into greased buckets with half inch rebar for the
anchoring hooks. I had with me a 5lbs mash hammer to form these hooks. I needn’t
have bothered, Brian bent all twenty by hand and a cracking job he did and never even broke sweat!

So the moulds are all laid out ready for next Saturday when
the lads will bring a cement mixer and we will do the lot! Incidentally Gordon asked a builder about the
cement we had stored and he said it will be perfectly fine as long as it has
not gone hard in the bag! Always best to
seek the views of a professional and not rely on a blowhard! Brian, Gordon and
Les on behalf of the club thank you!

Photo 03 - Not really a welcome visitor!

Plenty of fish!

Since I wasn’t fishing yesterday and we finished the work session early I took the opportunity to
nip round and see the anglers on the loch for a blether. It seems we have some
very contented anglers in that they have been catching fish but keeping mum
regarding this! Some anglers like to report their fish and some don’t. It’s
good to hear of fish being caught but we will always respect the wishes of the
angler! So if you want your fish in the gallery let us know but if you want to
keep your catches to yourself then that just fine too! Tight lines!

Common sense at
last!

I was interested to read in the Daily Record on Friday that
at last the record authorities are clamping down on “plastic” fish being submitted for record
status. Scale examination can reveal the past history of any fish submitted for
record status and any that have clearly been stewpond reared. Yes fish reared
to record or near record weights then released will no longer be accepted for
record status!

Now I am not surprised that the awarding body has come to
this conclusion, I am surprised it has taken so long to arrive here! Maybe now we can afford “plastic” fish the
derision they deserve and value the captures of wild fish in their natural
environments, the way it should be!

We have as a species been through a lot in the years we have
inhabited the earth. Many natural disasters, many more self made conflicts but
after every event came the now too often heard mantra we will change and make
things better! Our aim has always been to help the unfortunates in life and
getting rid of those we perceive to be a threat to our way of living!

Worthy aims indeed, and to accomplish this would be a huge
step forward. Every politician reels off these worthy statements and in every
case things remain the same or deteriorate! It has been our way since the
beginning of time and it will continue to be our way!

What causes us to fall at these hurdles is undeniably greed!
No one really likes to talk about it but make no mistake it is the reason
nothing will ever change! We want the newest car, the biggest house and the
ability to dispense with the need to think before we buy! A much kinder way of
looking at it is to say that we want nothing but the best for our families.
Contentment appears to be a bridge too far!

The bottom line is that we will never change! Our current
society encourages greed, the concept having been revitalised by Butcher Thatcher and
it continues without hindrance! We will never see a world free of conflict, a
world free of social inequality, a world free of poverty! The future is just to
continue as we are striving against our neighbour to feather our own nest!

It’s not pretty or
correct but it is the situation we have brought about through our own choice!

In Brief!

Donald Trump being voted man of the year by Time magazine.
Absolutely outrageous but perhaps it says more about the magazine than it does
about Trump! So steer clear of Time magazine its obviously a work of fiction and well off the mark!

Theresa May her on the side of the JAMs in the country posing for a photo shoot in a pair of leather
trousers costing £995.00. This would keep a family of four for a couple of weeks! It's still them and us the way it’s always been and the way it always will be!

The SNPs failure in education policy. The rhetoric of the policy sounded great, the implementation however must have been a shambles! This is policy implementation at its worst that left Nicola Sturgeon looking like a recalcitrant schoolgirl! Come on SNP
pull yourselves together you're acting like Tories!

Prince Harry and his world wide jaunts at our expense. Nice
work if you can get it, most of us however have to do a proper job for our money! Get a
proper job mate!

Boris Johnson it seems was a buffoon as a kid and clearly as age progresses he is still a buffoon! There will be many adjectives used to describe him in the future but the word buffoon will be ever present!

Borg Queen Ruth Davidson was adamant we should stay in the single market! It seems now she has done something the Tories are famous for a U turn! That's right now she says we should be out! The blind leading the blind methinks!

Sunday, 4 December 2016

We have just emerged from the most shameful event in the
clubs history where a sacked employee of the club tried to bring down and
belittle the work of many club stalwarts and the club as a whole. Ultimately he
brought the good name of the club into question and alienated himself with his
ridiculous actions! We had not yet
decided how long he would be barred from fishing on the lochs but in the event
that task was taken out of our hands by two riparian owners who have
effectively barred him from fishing on the lochs for a lifetime! This is a severe penalty but then again just consider what he has done to the club!

This means that the
future administrators of the fishing after we are gone will have no choice over
his admission to the club! Any attempt to give him membership will lead to the
lease of the fishing being withdrawn! Only when an administration puts forward
a membership that excludes Mr Xxxxx will the rights be restored! This move has
removed a huge weight from our shoulders!

We cannot erase the despicable actions of this fellow, but
this blog which is the social history of the club can be cosmetically altered
without disturbing the main thrust of the posts! We will leave the childish
actions perpetrated by him in print, but as anyone reading back posts
will by now have gathered his name will be obliterated as will any images of
him! Never in the history of the club have such actions been required, perhaps
a fitting testament to his abhorrent behaviour and the fact that he has
embarrassed every member of the club! Not to mention the fact that he is now universally seen as a chump!

If we are unfortunate enough to have to mention him again in
the future he will be referred to as Mr Xxxxx! He behaved in a shameful and
embarrassing manner the like of which the club has never seen before! We will
not tolerate such despicable behaviour! So the only thing the AGM will need to
consider is whether or not to take legal action against Mr Xxxxx in pursuance
of the club property he holds! So as far
as the club is concerned Mr Xxxxx was never here!

Photo 02 - Rose hip brandy methinks!

Proper club
members!

Looking at the shameful legacy of Mr Xxxxx you might think it’s
all doom and gloom! Of course you would be wrong. The huge majority of club
members are decent worthy individuals who not only practice their sport but in addition are
always thinking of the club and how to help!

Members like Brian Fairgrieve who when inheriting a Calor
gas heater with a gas cylinder, a working 12 volt battery and a battery charger thought of the club donated them to the club. Selfless actions in contrast to the actions of Mr
Xxxxx that propel the club forward. Similarly member David Shotton donated to
the club a new Hardy fly line and a super new waterproof fly box to be used as
prizes in our wild Trout competition.

Now don’t get me wrong we are not here concentrating on
material gains welcome as they are, we value just as much those who give of
their time! Members like Les Henderson
who emptied a one ton bag of aggregate filling in the potholes in our parking
area at the boathouse! Yes a 74 yr old man who thought he could help in spite
of us telling him not to do such work!

Men like Stevie Nimmo who without being asked serviced our new
Calor Gas heater to a point where it starts first time every time! Men like
Elliot Fraser who thinks nothing of enduring a 140 mile round trip as he did last week to help us
out of a tight spot! Men like David
Wilson and Stuart Grieve who regularly stay late to take in boats for us on a
Sunday and safely lock them up for us! Men like Gordon McClurg and Mike Wood
who when being asked if they could help us out are saying yes even before they
know what that task may be!

Men like the dozens of new members too many to list who have
offered to assist us in any way they can! In contrast to the actions of Mr Xxxxx above this is
the real St Mary’s Angling Club and it is because of these people that the club
will endure! To all of the members who
make our club the best it can be, a huge thank you!Compare this with the hate fuelled idiot above and you will see the
real angling club!

What now!

Well for all the game lads the season is over and it’s time
to assess the hammering you have given your tackle. Flies with blunted points
and hackles coming loose, my remedy – bin them!
The hassle of sharpening and stabilising hackles is more bother than it’s
worth but if it’s your go to fly then get the carborundum and varnish out!

Rods just get a clean and check for cracked rings, if it’s
ok then dry and store. Reels get a clean with Paraffin/alcohol and relubed
ready for the 15th March. Lines cleaned and inspected for cracks but
if you are like me and use low end lines they get junked and a new one bought!
See Mike’s latest offers below for some great bargains!

You can of course continue fishing for different species
with Pike being the standout species there are others of course such as Perch
and Grayling. I am getting out the wire
traces looking for a croc!

Xmas presents at
Fishers!

Have a look at some of the great offers from Mike at
Fishers. There will be bargains without end right up to the New Year! Great
deals such as the Greys GTS 700 for only £55.00 instead of £99.99 and there are
many more click the link to see more great bargains

Important information for members

For fishing information please phone 07980350031

If you would like to join the club or renew your membership please click the link below to download the form.https://sites.google.com/site/stmarysloch/club-membership-1The next event for members is membership renewal. You may renew from the 1st of January until the 31st of January 2017. failure to renew within this time frame will result in the £20.00 joining fee being implemented. Joining/Renewal form click the link

Club AGM will take place in February/March 2017 date and venue to be announced.